Spring break is a time to recharge, rest, and relax. If you’re someone like me who needs music to do these things, here are 20 great songs to keep your spring break refreshing and exciting!
1. Stupid mistakes (lovelytheband)
If you haven’t heard lovelytheband yet, stop reading this article right now and play their album “finding it hard to smile.” An up-and-coming band who are performing at the Paradise Rock Club in West Campus on May 7, they came out with their first album this past August. Their music is a fun combination of pop and alternative with lyrics ranging from fun to “real” that occasionally tackle mental health issues. This song, “stupid mistakes,” isn’t my favorite song of theirs, but it’s a good introduction to their music. And who can’t relate to making stupid mistakes, right?
2. Human Right (The Strike)
From the bold opening notes of this song, you can already tell that it’s a super fun song to dance to. It’s technically under the “alternative” genre, but it’s as catchy and upbeat as a really good pop song. I can’t describe just how much this song makes you want to dance, so you’ll have to listen to it to find out for yourself.
3. Not Steady (Paloma Mami)
This song is a single girl anthem that no one knows about. Part of it is in Spanish, so that might be why it’s not super popular, but it should be. The lyrics are relatable as shit (“You call, I dub, I don’t pick up, I don’t give a f*** … Get lit and have some fun and meet no one”). It’s also a clever mix of genres, incorporating reggaeton and trap. So if these genres are your style, definitely give this song a listen. If you don’t listen to reggaeton or trap as much, it’s still worth listening to because it’s also danceable and super catchy. Plus, if you’re single and are in no way looking for a relationship, this song is super relatable.
4. Break My Heart Again (FINNEAS)
If you couldn’t already tell from the title, this song is very sad. It’s perfect for break-ups, but also good to listen to if you just need a good cry. Like many beautiful sad songs, it’s just the singer and a piano, with a tiny bit of strings towards the end. The singer has dated someone twice and gotten his heart broken both times, leading him to wonder “why the hell I ever let you in.”
5. From Me, the Moon (LAV)
In “From Me, the Moon,” the singer uses just a ukulele and has a soft, crooning voice. Kind of like the artist in “Break my heart again,” this singer reflects on a past relationship and wonders whether her love interest still remembers her and if they have forgiven her.
6. Dumb Stuff (LANY)
This is a short, simple, yet understated song on LANY’s great album ILYSB. The intro is fun, long and word-less and the idea behind it is a very simple but very accurate depiction of love. The title refers to the “dumb stuff” that the speaker and his lover talk about late at night. I appreciate this simpler concept and depiction of love where the most important thing is being able to talk about “dumb stuff” all night long. You don’t have to say something as intense as “your heart is all I own” like Ed Sheeran in his song “Perfect” to show that you really like someone.
7. Novels (Rusty Clanton)
Depending on whether you’re in a relationship or not, this song will make you feel either super gushy and loving towards your SO, or it’ll make you want a love as sweet and ever-lasting as the one Rusty Clanton sings about. Besides the calming acoustic sound of the song, the thing I love about it is, just like in the song “Dumb Stuff,” the simple declaration of love. Rusty Clanton sings, “I hope we write novels in our head of what to tell the other when we wake/ and when the morning comes with volumes left to choose… let’s say ‘I love you.’” In a world where we’re told we have to go the 30 extra miles for our loved one, it’s nice to hear that the only thing that really matters is telling that person that you love them.
8. Body Talk (1stVOWS)
If you are or have been in a weird friendship with benefits situation, give this song a try. The too-relatable lyric here is “where you been — oh wait, don’t tell me/ I just care that you’re here with me.” I also really love it when songs use more physical language that you can almost feel. Dance and music are completely fused together, and I love it when it’s easy to feel both the lyrics and the actual music. Naturally, I love “body talk” because it’s all about the feeling and not the saying.
9. Sue Me (Sabrina Carpenter)
Sabrina Carpenter is another up-and-coming artist that everyone should know about. She’s been on the music scene for a while, but coming from Disney Channel, she hasn’t been taken super seriously until now. However, she came out with a new album, “Singular,” which is very much not Disney Music, and shows how good pop music can really be. “Sue Me” is another empowering girl anthem you can add to your list with great lyrics like “I guess I’m hard to ignore/pick up that jaw off the floor.”
10. Savannah (Relient K)
If you’re looking for warm, summery songs to get in the mood for warm weather, Savannah is a great place to start. Another upbeat pop-ish song, Savannah has a strong acoustic sound with some low-key drums. The chorus is one of the best parts of the song because of the melody that’s combined with even, steady singing and builds up to the slower and sweeter bridge: “baby… everything makes sense when you’re with me.”
11. Prom (SZA)
If you haven’t already listened to SZA’s album “Ctrl,” what are you doing with your life? I love her hit single, “The Weeknd,” as much as the next girl, but this song I think deserves a bit more love. The song is kind of misleading because it’s not about prom, but I think it’s a very subtle, accurate portrayal of growing up (at least in my experience). SZA starts out by saying, “fearin’ not growin’ up/ keepin’ me up at night/ am I doin’ enough?/ feel like I’m wastin’ time” which is of course, relatable. Coupled with the song title, an event at the end of high school that preceeds a crucial step into the world of adulthood, and you get a song about growing up and out of your old self.
12. Movement (Hozier)
Remember that song everyone loved in 2014, “Take Me to Church?” That’s Hozier, and he just came out with a new album (“Wasteland,” baby!). The best song on this album is, in my opinion, “Movement.” It’s soft but powerful, and (forgive the cliche) kind of sounds like what a river’s song would sound like. There’s a steady clapping beneath the low, soothing voice of Hozier and the lyrics talk about “moving” someone in the same melodic, steady way of a body of water. Also, the cover art shows someone underwater, so I think I’m right about this.
13. Promise (Ben Howard)
This is one of my all-time favorite songs. Anytime I’m feeling overwhelmed or super anxious, taking five minutes out of my day to listen to this soft, soothing song helps every time. The intro is one of my favorite parts about it because all you hear for about 50 seconds is the crackling sounds of fire. A light guitar playing slowly fades in, and then you almost don’t have to listen to the lyrics to fully experience and enjoy this song.
14. Heavy (POWERS)
If anyone has seen the TV show You, this is the song that’s playing when Beck is suffering from writers’ block late in the season. Since discovering it on You, I haven’t been able to stop listening to it. It starts out strong, similarly to “Human Right” and definitely has a pop feel to it, despite being “alternative.” It’s a great song to dance to in your room when you’ve got a crush you just don’t know what to do with.
15. cold/mess (Prateek Kuhad)
This is another sweet, low-key love song that’s perfect to slow dance to. The lyrics are a bit confusing because he keeps saying “I wish I could leave you” but after listening to this song a few times, I think he’s saying that he wishes he could leave the person he’s speaking to without being a mess after.
16. Belong in the Sun (¿Teo?)
¿Teo?’s music style is best described as a mix between R&B, alternative and “latin.” The background in this song sounds vaguely like one you’d find in a salsa song, and as the song progresses, he layers it with his warm, low voice and small details in the background like quiet hums and phrases from back-up singers. The song flows very well and definitely has a rich, warm vibe to it that adds to the warmth he’s trying to convey.
17. Lo Que Siento (Cuco) “What I Feel”
Cuco is another latinx artist you should know about! His music has a pleasing chill-pop sound with an equally calming voice and steady beat. He sings both English and Spanish but moves easily one to the other so non-Spanish speakers can probably figure out from context what he’s saying.
18. Will He (Joji)
Here’s another breakup ballad for you. Joji sings in too many different genres to name so I’m not even going to try to describe that part. There’s a super muted, atmospheric tone to this song that I really like along with more classic piano use (it is a break-up song, after all). Joji already has a pretty mournful voice, and here it’s just amplified. As I’m sure you can tell from the title, the speaker is lamenting his ex’s new boyfriend, asking the girl he loved “will he” do what the speaker used to do for her?
19. Dulce Vino (Jona Camacho) “Sweet Wine”
I’m sorry for those of you who don’t speak Spanish that I keep putting Spanish songs on here, but they’re good, I promise. If you don’t speak Spanish, this is a pretty ~suggestive~ song where the speaker sings about a girl’s sweet wine (dulce vino) being able to cure his thirst. If you’re not about such an obviously thirsty song, listen to it for the beat. This could easily be a staple in dance clubs but only a few specific Spanish language songs ever get played at the club, unfortunately. I could do a whole other article just on 20 Spanish songs you should listen to, but that’s not this article.
20. Art Exhibit (Young the Giant)
Young the Giant will always be one of my favorite bands and “Art Exhibit” is why. Of course, they have the classic “Cough Syrup” and “Apartment,” if you’ve heard of those, but this song is on a whole new song-writing dimension. It sounds great too, of course, with its strings-based background and the lovely voice of Sameer Gadhia. But the best thing about this song is how well the main metaphor is executed, with the band comparing reminiscing about an old relationship to walking through an art exhibit.
I won’t talk about any more songs because it’s much better to just listen to them! The playlist is on my account and embedded above, so feel free to stalk my Spotify. I spend a lot of time curating playlists because it’s a fun form of journaling for me, and I like sharing them with people!
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